


Confusion

by Akiko_Natsuko



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Confusion, Friendship, Gen, Prompt: Delirium, Spells & Enchantments, Trust, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-16 06:21:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21031658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: Confusion. 4th level enchantment. This spell assaults and twists creatures' minds, spawning delusions and provoking uncontrolled action - which can be dangerous especially in the middle of a battle.





	Confusion

Beauregard shook her head and almost staggered with the effort as she came to an abrupt halt. She had been a second too slow in dodging the spell that Caleb had been unable to stop, and at first, it seemed to have dissipated without effect, purple light illuminating for a second before vanishing. Then she had tried to run at the mage, knowing from fighting alongside Caleb for so long that if she got close enough, then her fists would even the odds. But she had barely made it five feet towards her target when a haze had settled over her thoughts, as though there was a disconnect and when she’d blinked, she’d found that she’d dashed almost forty feet in the opposite direction. _What the…?_

“Beau, what the hell are you doing?” Fjord shouted, unknowingly echoing her own thoughts, as he blasted one of the soldiers with twin beams of eldritch blast.

“I…” She shook her head again, feeling steadier this time, and took off running back the way she had come without answering. Because she didn’t know. Scowling, she fixed her gaze on the mage who smirked at her. _Keep moving. _She could figure out whatever the hell had happened once she had punched that woman to hell and back, and preferably when either Jester or Caduceus was free to check her out, as the pair of them were currently neck-deep in a swarm of glittering bugs and hamster unicorns, Jester sending out flashes of sacred flame while the Firbolg worked on Yasha. _Which she also couldn’t worry about right now._

It was like walking into a wall.

Her mind went blank again, and she faltered and came to a halt. _I don’t need to move. I should just stay here._ She blinked again, and the thoughts disappeared as quickly as they had come, and she almost fell forward as her body came back under her control. Torn between fury at whatever had been done to her, and confusion, she briefly considered falling back to regroup with the others, but then a lightning bolt scored the ground by her foot, forcing her to dart to the side and her focus shifted back to her target. They needed to end this, she just had to hope that whatever was happening could hold off long enough for that to happen, and biting her lip, and willing her thoughts to stillness she closed her eyes, trying to break through the effect.

She didn’t feel any different, but then she hadn’t when the spell had hit. Offering up a quick, half-hearted prayer she broke into a run again as she heard Nott shouting in alarm behind her, and this time she didn’t look at the mage, but at the ground. Counting her steps. Grounding her mind. Hands clenched into fists at her side, ready to lash out as soon as she was within range.

There!

She sensed movement ahead, and with a triumphant shout her head shot up and she lashed out. Her fist met skin, the impact bruising…and then Caleb was there, staggering back with a sharp cry, his hand flying up to his nose as blood began to trickle down his face. “Beauregard…” Her hands fell to her side, confusion taking hold. She had seen Caleb when she was running, he had been off to the side, nowhere near her path. _So, how did I…?_

“I’m sorry,” she blurted. “I…” _I don’t know what happened…_.

“Are you all right?” Caleb was still wincing, but his attention was on her now. “That spell…” Guilt chased on the tail of those words, and she shook her head not wanting to hear him apologise for something else that wasn’t his fault.

“I’m fine, I just really need to punch that mage,” she didn’t give him chance to reply. Trying not to think that she had already punched a mage, her knuckles tingling from the impact. Now, the anger was taking over, because she had been forced to hurt one of her friends, and she tasted copper this time as she charged forward, biting her bottom lip.

She could feel her thoughts beginning to cloud over again, the haze making it hard to focus on anything particular. She wanted to stop. To change direction. To punch something, anything… but she shook it off this time, focusing on the taste of blood in her mouth, the ache from hitting Caleb, and the smouldering, building rage in her chest.

And there she was.

“What the fuck did you do to me?!” Beau demanded as she dodged the spell that was flung at her, before lunging into melee with the woman, a wild grin on her lips. _Not this time,_ she lashed out, putting all her strength into the punch in the way that she was glad that she hadn’t with Caleb. The mage staggered back with a sharp cry, skin breaking under the force of the impact, and Beau was relentless now, punching her again, and then spinning around to kick her in the midriff. The next punch went wild, as her vision blurred, and again she found herself heading off in a random direction, but she had barely gone ten feet this time before she bit her lip again, hard enough to shake it off. “That trick isn’t going to work anymore.”

“Beauregard!” Caleb was there, and she wanted to yell at him to get away, not quite trusting herself around him yet. But then warmth shot passed and she flinched slightly, half-expecting retribution, only to blink as the firebolt slammed into the mage who had been braced against another physical attack rather than a spell. “End this.” It came out as a demand, but Beau heard the meaning behind it. The trust in those two words, and as another firebolt slammed into the mage she drew herself up, realising that he was going to give her the opening she needed as she broke into a run once more, eyes locked on the staggering, firebolt-scorched woman.

_I’m not going to miss this time._


End file.
